BENGALURU: Malaysian shuttlers have had a fair run on the world stage — be it at Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games and other international competitions. They, like most other nations, haven’t been able to crack the Chinese code but are among the best in the second rung of countries that play the sport. Thanks to Lee Chong Wei, the former World No 1, getting on the podium has never been a difficult task. But open the latest BWF rankings and the list will offer you a stark contrast.
Only five players are in the top 50 in the men’s singles and an ageing Chong Wei (7) is still the only hope for Malaysia. The next Malaysian in the list is Daren Liew, who is ranked No 43.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) isn’t happy with the team’s recent performances, especially after surrendering the Commonwealth Games mixed doubles crown to India. But, if the word of a former World No 1 is anything to go by, the blame lies with BAM. Roslin Hashim isn’t surprised with India’s rise in the badminton ladder at the expense of his own country. “I am not surprised that India beat Malaysia to take the Commonwealth mixed doubles gold. Malaysia’s downfall in badminton was waiting to happen,” Hashim said. “The federation doesn’t want to understand the problem and instead blame players.
We are way behind in terms of infrastructure. I told them that a decade ago but nothing has changed yet.” Hashim is familiar with Malaysia’s junior teams having coached them in the past. So ‘where is the next Chong Wei’ question feels like a natural follow up. But his reply wasn’t. He looked crestfallen when replying. “Not in another decade, for sure.” The strange thing in all of this is there’s no shortage of Malaysian coaches. In fact, they are really doing well in other countries, leading players to medals. The best example is Jeremy Gan, who is currently Japan’s coach.
Under his tutelage, the mixed doubles pair of Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino won All England Open this year, while Malaysia returned empty-handed. Hashim’s compatriot, Zakry Abdul Latif, a former doubles specialist, pointed out at the politics inside BAM and lack of corporate funding. The duo came to Bengaluru to coach players at the request of Karnataka Badminton Association (KBA) and were overwhelmed by the facilities. “What we see here is not available for all the players in our country. Rather, they blame players without even noticing the real problems.
They don’t want our help either. There is no surprise why Indian badminton is on the rise. There is private infrastructure in place and players are very eager as well,” Latif said. Hashim is not even surprised that Kidambi Srikanth is the new World No 1. “India has progressed fast. And the reason for this is the strong foundation. You have to remain focused on winning two-three titles. Srikanth and others have done that. Srikanth’s game has also improved. He has paid no attention to his rankings. He has always improved his fitness and that’s key.” krishnendu@newindianexpress.com